10 Best Tips For Packing and Preparing When Moving House

23.12.18 -
Clarendon Homes, Home Building

Share

They say that there are three life situations that will test your patience and stress levels more than any other: loss of a loved one, divorce and moving house. It’s safe to say, then, that it’s in everyone’s best interest to make the moving process as smooth and stress-free as possible. Whether taking on a temporary rental for your knockdown rebuild, moving out of your old house into your new home or moving from your parents/relatives’ home, you are going to have to prepare for the shifting of your belongings from one place to another.

While we already assist you in the building process, we also want to know you’re happy in those interim stages as you get closer to enjoying your beautiful, new home. So, here are our top tips for best preparing for moving house to keep stress down and spirits high.

Pack your daily essentials in a clear container

There’s nothing worse than looking for something and then realising it is definitely maybe enclosed in one of the decidedly un-see-through manila shaded moving boxes towering in front of you. Even if you’ve labelled the boxes correctly, it’s still very much a needle in a hefty hay stack. To get around this dilemma, put the items you think you’ll need early in your move, or items that are important to you, in a clear container. It’ll not only stand out from the other boxes, but you’ll be able to clearly see what is inside for easy access.

Pack drinking glasses and breakables with clean folded socks

We would like to emphasise the word ‘clean’ before we continue. This is (obviously) imperative, but may need repeating if your teen is offering their socks for the cause. Packing your bundled socks in with breakables not only kills two packing birds with one stone, but it’ll save on bubble wrap while also being a perfectly effective safety barrier between your prized wine glasses and, basically, everything else.

Place extra cotton pads in your powder cosmetic compacts

If you have ever moved before (or been mobile with makeup in any capacity), you’ll be familiar with the propensity for powders in compacts to shatter. And that’s just getting from home to work. So imagine the carnage that could occur on a house move? To keep your makeup safe from a powder blow-out, pop a cotton pad inside the compact as added protection. The addition barrier will press down on the powder and keep it firm, prepped for continued use without the otherwise inevitable task of attempting to press back, in vain, with your fingers.

Pack plates vertically

You know the old vinyl records? (If not, we’ll give you a minute to quickly Google) ... … … Ok, so now we’re on the same page, think of how you would stack those when packing your ceramic or glass plates. Although it might be instinct to stack them on top of each other, like you would in the drawer or cupboard, it’s best to swap it out for vertical placement when moving. Even better if you can separate each with a tea or hand towel to stop any clanking that might cause breakage. The reason for this, is that it reduces the weight placed on the bottom plates (particularly in the centre) and instead keeps it all even dispersed with little to no weight-bearing.

Change your mail address with any applicable people or businesses two weeks before moving

This may not help with moving day, but you will be glad you did it after a few weeks of being in your interim residence or new home. Be sure to let all of the companies and people who regularly send you bills or mail your new address at least two weeks in advance (or the earliest point possible). This includes double checking any online shopping you’re pre-registered with, relatives who are known for sending birthday and holiday cards and any hard copy bills you still might receive.

Place hanging clothes directly into garbage bags

This is a great hack to take away unnecessary unpacking work on the other end. Bundle your hanging clothes into three our four sections (depending on the size of your hanging space), and hold them together (while still hanging) and place clothing into the garbage bags. Once the bag has been pulled up to the top of the of the garments, tighten the drawstring of the bag (or secure with packing/electrical tape). Opt for boxes with added hanging bar (available at storage stores) and hang the secured section straight in. Then, once you have your wardrobe sorted in the new place, simply hang them all up at once, take off the bag and voila! hanging clothes unpacked in no time.

Snail mail items to your new home

Sometimes, sending items to your new place is cheaper than hiring a removalist. For items that are a little more important to you, pack them up and snail mail them to your new address. It’s best to opt for items that don’t hold a lot of weight (to keep costs down): clothes and stuffed toys, for example. Particularly if your removalist charges per box, or your hire truck is at capacity with bigger furniture items. It could end up more cost and time effective in the long run to just use Australia Post.

Pack a ‘first night’ box or bag

You don’t want to be scrounging around boxes to try and locate your toothbrush after a long day moving. Pack an overnight bag or box (if you want to keep the family’s together) that is clearly marked for you to go directly to for all the essentials before you start another long day of unpacking. Think of everything: toiletries, meals and cutlery, bedding… Go through your whole nightly routine and pack accordingly.

List all of your contents and cross check on the other end

It might feel tedious at the time, but it’s invaluable to keep account of your belongings when your shifting from one house to another. Whether it be an Excel spreadsheet or a handwritten list, write it all down, and then mark it all off on the other end. You’ll feel much better about taking accountability of your contents than you will if you don’t, and then can’t remember if you packed a treasured item that hasn’t shown up since the move.

Lean on your Customer Service Consultant to ensure your build isn’t adding any stress to the process

If you’re moving to a rental while your new home is built as a knockdown rebuild, or you’re on the last stages of the move process and about ready to move into your brand new build, stay in the loop with your Customer Service Consultant. They will be invaluable to you over the whole process, and give you peace of mind and updates regarding the progress of your home so that you can plan and prepare your life beforehand.